North Somerset Council
Birnbeck Pier Transition Manager
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Job Title: Birnbeck Pier Transition Manager
This exciting new role will lead the transition from the capital restoration of the Pier site to establishing the site as the region’s newest visitor attraction.
We're seeking a highly experienced and motivated person to take on the newly created role of Birnbeck Pier Transition Manager.
You'll work closely with the team currently delivering the capital restoration project and other key individuals from external partner organisations.
You'll be responsible for leading on and building from scratch a completely new management and organisational infrastructure, in partnership with one or more new operating partners. This will offer you a unique opportunity to design and implement a complete system of integrated strategies, policies and management structures.
We're looking for someone with drive and determination, backed by sound experience in the management of visitor attractions to take on the challenge of establishing the operation and management policies and procedures to open successfully to the public. You will be supported in this by additional new posts of community engagement and admin support.
The Job
- Salary: £55,836 to £61,604 a year (funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund)
- Hours: Full time - 37 hours a week
- Duration: Fixed term for two years
- Leave: 29 days annual leave a year (rising to 34 days after 5 years; service)
- Deadline to Apply: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Key Responsibilities
- Setting up a heritage site management and operational structure from scratch
- Developing a working partnership agreement between North Somerset Council (the freehold owners) and a new operating entity
- Working alongside the restoration team to ensure the public facing works and facilities will best deliver an attractive and popular site
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Desirable: Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel.
This position will be split across two locations - the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare and the Birnbeck Pier historic site, Weston-super-Mare.
About You
We're looking for someone who's passionate about heritage management, and who possesses the following skills and experience:
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in a relevant field such as heritage management, business/leisure/tourism/event management. There is scope for acceptance of transferable skill sets which would be an appropriate fit to this role
- Demonstrable experience in strategic senior leadership and management roles within the heritage/business/leisure/tourism/event management field
- Previous experience of setting up new management and operational structures
- Proven track record in high level partnership working across the community, voluntary, public and commercial sectors
- Strong skills in financial management with a focus on maximising income generation
Relevant Skills
- Leadership in a completely new working environment
- Staff management
- Partnership working
- Good understanding and use of day to day IT office systems
Interpersonal Skills
- Excellent communication and negotiation ability—able to liaise with developers, members, public, and colleagues alike
- Strong analytical mindset with the ability to propose practical, policy-informed design solutions
- Organised, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple tasks to deadlines
- Flexible and pragmatic
- Awareness of the political environment
- Enjoy working with people and leading a small team
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The Birnbeck Pier Restoration Project
We took ownership of the nationally important pier site in July 2023. The pier structure and buildings on the landside and island were derelict and in a dangerous condition and the whole site had been closed to the public since 1994. The pier structure is Grade II* listed, with five other buildings and structures at the site listed as Grade II in their own right.
Our ambition is for Birnbeck Pier and Island to re-open to the public, attracting visitors to this nationally important heritage site. The vision is not only to bring the pier and its buildings back from the brink of loss, but also to create a unique destination to support the regeneration of Weston-super-Mare.
To achieve this ambition, we've secured more than £44m from external funders including HM Government and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Restoration work is well underway with the landside buildings and Pier bridge expected to open in summer 2027 and further phases of the North Jetty and island buildings restoration to follow.
You can find more information about the project on our website at https://n-somerset.gov.uk/birnbeckpierproject.
Find Out More
Apply via our website where you'll find more details about this role and working for us.
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